Winding, twisting, stranding, coiling, lapping, and the like machines



WINDING, TWISTING, STRANDING, COILING,

p l 1931- J. H. LARMUTH 1,799,984

LAPPING, AND THE LIKE MACHINES Filed Sept. 15, 1927 2 Sheets-Shae! l [22 men! or.

W L flttarn y- Aprll 7, 1931. UT 1,799,984

WINDING, TWISTING, STRANDING, COILING,

LAPPING, AND THE LIKE MACHINES Filed Sept. 15, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J1 ttornegy- Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN HAMILTON LARMUTH, F HILL CREST, UPPER COLWYN BAY, WALES WINDING, TWISTING, STRANDING, COILING, LAIPING, AND THE LIKE MACHINES Application filed September 15, 1927, Serial No. 219,760, and in Great Britain November 18 1926.

This invention relates to Winding, twisting, stranding, coiling, lapping and the hire machines employing bobbins in cradles, stands or frames which form parts of the machines and the main. object thereof is to reduce the amount of time and labour necessary to removing empty bobbins and replacing them with filled bobbins or removing full bobbins and replacing them with empty bobbins. Another object is to obviate the time hitherto lost in applying the tensionproducing device to the inserted bobbins and, if desired, to ensure that the initial tension applied to the bobbins by such devices is 5 maintained uniform for every bobbin. Other advantages accruing from my invention will be hereinafter made apparent.

I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in 20 which- Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of part of a winding, twisting, stranding, coiling, lapping and the like machine.

' Figure 2 is a view. in cross 8130131011 of the said part on a line corresponding wlth the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side v ew and Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan vlew of a portion of a cradle and illustrates a modification.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings which show the invention as applied by way of example to the cradle 1 of a machine having a rotary tube 3 in which the cradle 7 1 or a plurality of similar cradles is mounted by means of spiders and which has apertures 5, I provide each side of the cradle or each cradle with an upright arm 6 and each side of the cradle with an upright arm 7, there being thus a pair of arms 6 and a pair of arms 7 A cross shaft 8is mounted in the pair of arms Band has two sprocket wheels 9, 10

over which pass two pivotal link chalns 11 and 12 respectively which mesh therewith. The chains 11 and 12 are attached at one end to the arms 7 for example by studs 13 and the chains 11 and 12 thus form two depending, parallel loops or slings which can be varied in length by rotation of the shaft length, the other end of the band 16 being attached to a tension spring 17 which is in turn attached to a hook 18 provided on an adjusting screw 19 slidably mounted on a projection 20 on one of the arms 6, the screw 19 having a wing nut 21 for moving it. A similar band may be provided in connection with the chain 12.

Each bobbin is providedwith two friction drums 23 arranged at the outer sides of the bobbin flanges and spaced the same distance apart as the loops or slingsformed by the I chains. A suitable bobbin is shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings and is indicated by the reference numeral 22. It has two friction drums 23 arranged at the outer sides of its flanges 24 and spaced the same distance apart as the loops or slings formed by the chains 11 and 12.

In operation, assuming the cradle 1 to be empty, a bobbin 23 is rolled under the tube 3 into position beneath the cradle -1 and the loops or slings of the chains 11 and 12 are adjusted under the friction drums 23, see Figure 1. The shaft 8 is then turned to wind up the chains 11 and 12 and thus shorten the loops or slings and the bobbin 22 is thus raised, the friction drums 23 performing a rolling movement along the loops or slings as they become'shorter. Figure 2 shows the bobbin 22 in a partly raised position. The bobbin.22 finally passes upwards between the sides of the cradle 1 and it is to be observed that owing to disposition of the chains 11 and 12, the bobbin 22 is positively lifted along a correct line to bring it into position in the cradle 1 Without manual guidance. The mandrel or shaft (not shown) of the bobbin is next inserted and if such mandrel or shaft has square ends to engage two correspondingly shaped slots 24, the bobbin is raised slightly above its correct height before such insertion so that the mandrel or shaft can drop into the slots 24 after the caps provided to close the tops of the same have been removed, the shaft or mandrel has been inserted in the central hole 26 of the bobbin 22 and the chains 11 and 12 have been slackened by reversal of the shaft '8 to lower the bobbin 22 to its correct height. This is not necessary if the ends of the shaft or mandrel are cylindrical, it then being merely necessary to form the receiving slots and covering caps cylindrical and to slide the mandrel or shaft through the slots and bobbin 22 whilst the bobbin 22 is at its correct height. In either case the arrangement of the chains 11 and 12 and friction drums 23 ensures that the mandrel or shaft registers exactly with the slots or bearings provided for it in the sides of the cradle 1 and thus eliminates any necessity for manually guiding the bobbin to obtain correct register.

As the friction drums 23 roll along the loops or slings one of them passes the attached end 15 of the friction band 16 and rolls onto the band 16. Thus the friction band 16 is automatically brought into position around one of the friction drums 23, and the tension of the band 16 is automatically controlled by the amount of shortening of the loops or slings. Thus by setting the shaft 8 always to the same angular position on completion of the bobbin lifting operation a uniform initial tension is obtained for each fresh bobbin without independent adjustment of the band tension.

A suitable scale and pointer may be provided in connection with the shaft 8 or stops may be provided on the cradle 1, or other suitable means may be employed to facilitate or ensure the uniform setting of the shaft 8 in the desired position.

The slack of the chains 11 and 12 consequent on the shortening of the loops or slings is received in troughs 27 or other receptacle provided on the cradle 1. Alternatively the ends of the chains 11 and 12 are attached to their sprocket wheels 9 and 10 respectively so that they coil up on themselves as the bobbin is lifted, discs or large flanges being preferably provided at the sides of the sprocket wheeis to prevent the coils from slipping off each other.

lVhile the machine is running reserve bobbins can be placed or stored under a part thereof ready for recharging. To recharge, the pawl 32 is released after removal of the mandrel or shaft supporting the bobbin, and the used bobbin is lowered from the cradle 1 by rotating the shaft 8 to lengthen the loops or slings,the friction drums23then rolling along the same and one of the drums 23 thereby automatically releasing itself from engagement with the friction band 16. "Whenthe usedbobbin has reached the ground the loops or slings formed by the chains 11 and 12 are disengaged from the friction drums 28 and the used bobbin is rolled away to make place for the reserve bobbin already placed beneath the machine, the reserve bobbin being then rolled into the position occupied by the used bobbin before it was rolled away.

It w ll be appreciated that the hereinbefore described construction also dispenses with the need for overhead lifting tackle, eliminates the necessity of lifting the bobbins above the machine when removin and inserting them and therefore of guiding them past a part or parts of the machine. The said construction therefore not only reduces the time and number of hands necessary to recharge the machine and ensures a uniform initial friction or drag, but also places less strain on the operatives and gives a reduced liability to in ury.

In the modification illustrated in Figures 3 and 1 in order to retain a uniform tension on the material during the unwinding or winding on of the material, the anchored end of the friction band 16 is anchored to an arm 28 provided on a loose sleeve 29 on the shaft 8, the sleeve 29 having also a feeler-arm 30 the end 31 of which is adapted to press on the material on the bobbin.

As the amount of material on the bobbin diminishes or increases, the feeler-arm 30 moves and by producing a corresponding movement of the arm 28 to which the frietion band 16 is anchored by means of the spring 17, screw 19 and wing nut 21, gradually slackcns or tightens the said band and thereby adjusts the tension or drag to compensate for the reduced diameter from which the material is being drawn or the increased diameter on which the material is being wound.

It will be appreciated that the hereinbefore described construction of lifting and tensioning means can be applied to the stands or frames of any of the hereinbefore specified machines having stands or frames in lieu of cradles 1 to hold bobbins.

I claim:

1. In winding, twisting, stranding, coiling, lapping and the like machines. the combination of bobbins, flanges provided at the sides of the bobbins, friction drums provided on the outer sides of the flanges, means for carrying the bobbins, a rotatable shaft mounted on the said means, chain sprocket wheels mounted on the shaft to rotate therewith, pivotal link chains connected at one end to the said means and riding on the sprocket wheels and forming depending slings for engagement with the friction drums, and friction bands connected at one end to the chains at a point between the ends of the chain and at the other end to the said means.

2. In twisting, stranding, coiling and lapping machines, the combination of a rotary name to this specification at Manchester in the county of Lancaster, England, this 1st day of September, 1927.

JOHN HAMILTON LARMUTH. 

